Pandemic puppy owners struggle with behaviour, according to study

Is your lockdown dog badly behaved?

For many, pets can be good companions, quickly becoming an important part of the family.

The UK lockdowns in 2020 saw lots of people make the decision to purchase their very own pooches to keep them company.

However, some dogs bought during the coronavirus pandemic have high levels of problem behaviours, a new study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) suggests.

Just over 1,000 UK owners who bought their dogs during the first nine months of the pandemic responded to an online survey as part of the research. They were asked to identify problem behaviours they saw in their young dogs from a list of 24.

This included behaviours like jumping up, clinginess, aggression towards other dogs and fear around people and loud noises.

On average, owners said their dogs had five of the listed problem behaviours, while one in five said they had eight or more.

The three most common were pulling on the lead (67%), jumping up at people (57%) and not coming back when called (52%).

One of the most common problem behaviours highlighted from the survey was dogs pulling on their leads

The study also estimates that almost a third of dogs had something called separation anxiety at 21 months. This is when dogs struggle to be away from their owners.

When asked about how they trained their dogs during the first 21 months of their lives, 96% of the owners who took part in the survey said they verbally praised their dogs.

However, 80% also reported using one or more punishment methods to get their dogs under control, like physically moving or pushing them, shouting at them, and yanking on their lead if they pulled. Vets say behaviours like this can increase fear and anxiety in pups.

Why is this a big deal?

Using punishment-based techniques to train dogs can have negative long-term effects

Dr Rowena Packer, who is the lead author of the new RVC study, warned owners struggling with problem behaviour - combined with the current cost of living crisis - could lead to them "reaching the end of their tether" and giving up their dogs.

She said that in addition to the problematic behaviour recorded, some new owners struggled to know what was normal for dogs and what could be making behaviours worse through the use of "punishment-based training techniques."

Dr Packer said that although these kinds of behaviours could be frustrating for owners, "they are often a sign a dog is struggling to cope or that they haven't been taught an appropriate response in a situation, rather than dogs intentionally behaving 'badly'".

Proper training techniques being used for dogs are important

Robert Bays, who is the senior animal behaviour manager at the rescue charity Battersea, says proper support is needed to make sure lockdown dogs, many of which face unique challenges compared to other dogs, and their owners are given the help they require.

"At Battersea, we have seen a significant increase in the number of dogs coming to our centres with certain behavioural issues, such as separation anxiety, which can often be linked to the pandemic and the training challenges this unusual time presented.

"Without the right kind of positive training and support, a small behaviour problem in a puppy or dog can quickly escalate into a serious issue."

We want to hear from you - is your lockdown dog badly behaved? And what training techniques have you used to improve your dog's behaviour? Let us know in the comments below.